Charlotte Avery
Q. Your name?
Charlotte Avery
Q. Your school?
St Paul’s Girls School
Q. Your current occupation?
Headmistress, St Mary’s School, Cambridge
Q. Your favourite subject at school?
English. I was inspired by English teachers who had studied at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, which is why I chose that college upon completion of my studies at St Paul’s.
Q. Your best and worst memory of your school days?
Some of my best memories are singing in the school Christmas Carol Services under the direction of Hilary Davan Wetton.
I can honestly say that I don’t have any bad memories of life at St Paul’s.
Q. What or who inspired you to follow your career?
My role model as a Head has to be my High Mistress Heather Brigstocke, who was a brilliant, glamorous and rather formidable leader rolled into one.
Q. What do you feel you gained by attending a girls’ only school?
Girls’ only schools provide an atmosphere of the highest academic endeavour, whilst making it abundantly clear that women can achieve anything they set their minds to. St Paul’s taught Paulinas to have confidence in their own abilities – academic, creative, sporting and musical – and gave me the chance to develop as an individual, with no pressure to conform in any particular way.
Q. Any advice for parents choosing a school for their daughter?
Don’t just focus on examination results, look at the whole package. Whilst academic achievement is crucial, ethos and atmosphere are equally important when it comes to choosing a school. Parents should determine if the school can offer their daughter academic enrichment in a nurturing atmosphere – one where she is free to explore who she is and what inspires her. How does the school recognize and value each girl’s individuality? What programmes and resources are in place to help students reach their full potential? How does the school help each girl to not only attain her academic goals, but also ensure that her imaginative, creative and spiritual needs are met? Parents shouldn’t hesitate to ask a lot of questions and examine every facet of a school.
Q. Any advice for girls planning their university and/or career choices?
I encourage girls to follow their passion. You can make a living doing what you love and be truly fulfilled by doing something that inspires you everyday.
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